'Once Upon a Time' to me is not one of Soyuzmultfilm's best, but Soyuzmultfilm is again from personal opinion one of the more consistent animation studios in overall quality. Being someone that really likes to loves what has been seen of their work. So much wonderful work to single out as particularly great, with their adaptations of literary classics being among the best for each of the respective stories (like 'The Snow Queen', 'The Wild Swans' and 'Thumbelina').
Although not perfect, 'Once Upon a Time', directed by one of the studio's most prolific and best directors Ivan Ivanov-Vano and based upon the Russian national fairy-tale 'By a Wave of the Wand', is still very good with a lot of great things. Anybody who loves animation and either anything non-UK/US or wants to see more of or get acquainted with it should track it down and should find plenty to like. If it's not to anybody's taste, nothing will be held against them.
For my tastes, some of the voice work didn't really fit the characters. The tsarevna sounded more like a very cute animal character, no offense intended, and sounded much younger than she looked. A more mature voice would have fitted better.
The climactic moments while somewhat exciting were on the heavy-handed side and didn't to me gel with what had come before.
However, the animation is extremely well done with stunning looking landscapes and beautifully detailed backgrounds. The music had a nice mix of whimsy, nostalgia, lushness and intensity, and never had any issues with how it was placed and how it fitted with the action. The writing is both entertaining and sensitive, while the story is very amusing, especially with the tsar, and charming. Never being too juvenile and not taking itself too seriously either.
Emelja is a likeable protagonist, while particularly notable of the rest of the character is the tsar. Very interesting to see a more comedic tsar, and in a genuinely funny way, than one usually sees portrayed.
Concluding, very nicely done though Soyuzmultfilm did do better. 8/10
